First visit · Tips
First visit in China Grove: practical tips
Small changes that make a visit go better, learned the ordinary way.
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
Weekends bring more of China Grove out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
Before you leave the house
Arrive with time in hand. The first ten minutes are always coats, looking around and deciding, and rushing them costs more than they take.
A first visit works best with no schedule attached to it. Come, see what the child gravitates to, and let that decide the hour.
When you arrive
Watch what they choose before suggesting anything. Children pick the machine that matches their temperament with no help at all.
Check the day of the week against the closing time before you leave. Sunday finishes earlier than the rest of the week and catches people out.
While you are there
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
Arrive with time in hand. The first ten minutes are always coats, looking around and deciding, and rushing them costs more than they take.
On the way home
A first visit works best with no schedule attached to it. Come, see what the child gravitates to, and let that decide the hour.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
Questions parents ask
What should we bring?
Warm layers for the rink, and the usual drink and snack for afterwards.
How long should we allow?
An hour is a comfortable first visit for most families.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
How do I get in touch?
By phone on +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925, or by e-mail at info@newlife-entertainment.com.
Planning your visit in China Grove
If China Grove is home, this is the sort of place you end up returning to rather than ticking off. That changes what a first visit is worth planning around.
Two shorter visits teach a child more than one long one. The second time they already know what they want to try, and that is when the good part starts.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Concord Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Concord and impossible to miss once you are there.
The practical details
- XCAV ZONE — 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214: four child-operated machines over a ball pit.
- ICE PARK — 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027: a real rink with bumper cars on the ice.
- Opening hours — 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
- Phone — +1 (424) 387-6232 · +1 (615) 968-4925
- E-mail — info@newlife-entertainment.com
The two centres are at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM most days and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.